VICTORY: Hayward Divests $1.6 Million From Companies On BDS List.
City of Hayward becomes first U.S. city since October 7th to divest in companies profiting from the Israeli apartheid and genocide.
We did it!
The Hayward City Council voted on Tuesday to pull $1.6 million in investments from four corporations identified for divestment and exclusion by the Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) movement: Caterpillar, Intel, Chevron, and Hyundai. Members of the public gave over an hour of comment in support of the divestment, which was moved by Council Member George Syrop and approved by Council Members Angela Andrews, Dan Goldstein, and Francisco Zermeño.
Council dismissed public calls for a ceasefire resolution on December 5th, 2023, citing a policy from 1977 that forbids taking stances on international issues. Hayward residents, among them several children and educators, returned to the council chambers on January 23rd to demand the City’s investment portfolio be amended. While specific BDS language did not make it into the resolution, the Council approved an amended investment policy removing Caterpillar, Intel, Chevron, and Hyundai from the City’s investment portfolio.
Israel's recent bombing of the Gaza Strip, which began in October 2023, has taken the lives of over 25,700 Palestenians (including 10,000 children). For months, the Hayward Community Coalition has worked with residents to advocate for a ceasefire and push the City Council to take concrete action for Palestine beyond a symbolic resolution.
“Calling for a ceasefire is no longer enough,” says Arieana Castellanos, Chair of the Hayward Community Coalition. “We asked for less than one percent of our city’s total investment portfolio to be reallocated to stand against genocide. It shouldn’t be controversial. Hayward’s divestment demonstrates what cities across the country can do to materially support the people of Palestine. We need to divest a lot more than $1.6 million at all levels of government until Congress, Joe Biden, and Israel’s leadership end the occupation.”
Thank you to everyone in the community who showed up for the Palestinian community, both in Hayward and abroad. We will continue to fight for a free Palestine, but we are proud knowing that our city is doing its part.